Omega 3

Jo_R_2

Sharra wrote:

I want to give my 11 yr old son an omega 3 supplement - I kinda gulped at the £21.99 for eyeq but found it very difficult to work out whether it was worth the extra money or whether I should just buy a flaxseed supplement ( we are veggie but in this case if I thought fish oils would be better, my son is happy to compromise his principles.)
With the eyeq - is it a case of paying for what you get? or are you paying for the brand name?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sharra

Sharra - can't comment on the eyeq, as you we are veggie/vegan family. I do know that Seven Seas do an omega 3 supplement which in our local chemist is £3.29, a couple of pounds dearer in Boots I noticed the other day. To the very best of my veggie/vegan knowledge, it doesn't make any difference if you have the fish oils or a plant source as the body will manufacture what it needs from plant sources anyway, as they are slightly different to the animal sources I do believe, to do with the long-chain fatty acids. You just need to make sure you have the omega 3 and 6 in the optimum proportions for them to have the best effect - I can't remember the exact ratio but too much omega 6 affects the beneficial properties of any omega 3 you may have.

What we frequently do is buy a bottle of flaxseed oil and two teaspoons a day is sufficient for children and adults (less for babies.) As it doesn't taste all that great, you can "hide" it if you have to in various foods, ways I have used are to dress cold pasta and sneak it into smoothies or milkshakes. What you do have to remember is that you need to keep it cold and use it cold as the chemical structure breaks down with heat.

Trow

There has just been an add on the telly for Gold spread, saying that they are the only spread that adds the same Omega 3 as naturally comes from fish to their spread - might be worth a try? It seems to have its own Omega 3 pack, so don't just buy the first gold spread you see.

Stompa

Perhaps not entirely relevant to what's being discussed here, but:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article353286.ece

Stompa

Ted_Hutchinson

Stompa wrote:

Perhaps not entirely relevant to what's being discussed here, but:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article353286.ece

Stompa

The study on which this article is based was published here at the BMJ you only have to read the abstract to see this was based on published articles to 2002.
Just have a look at Scholar Google search omega 3 heart [size=-1]Results 1 - 10 of about 7,940[/size]

and [size=-1]Results 1 - 10 of about 6,170 for omega 3 cancer.[/size]
To see there has been considerable interest in Omega 3 in the intervening period and this later work is perhaps more promising. You do have to take some of the research papers with a pinch of salt. There are far to many which are frankly absurd. We know for example that omega status varies seasonally yet stock of tinned pilchards and sardines dont vary seasonally so knowing that vitamin d enhances the take up of omega 3's we can work out that studies of omega 3 performed in the northern hemisphere between September and March will produce different results than the same studies done when vitamin d is freely available from sunshine and people are less likely to be deficient.

tinasingy

i work in a high school and am coming to the end of a 6mth trial of omega 3 to see if it makes a difference to behavior. we have 10 12yr olds that in the past have been low achievers and disruptive in school. there has been a notable difference, their behavior has improved and so has their classwork,they seem calmer and are able to concentrate more.i started giving my son them at the same time and the improvement in him has been good his school work has improved and his reading which he showed no interest in has really improved he will now sit and try to read a book.

krishna

Jo_R wrote:

What we frequently do is buy a bottle of flaxseed oil and two teaspoons a day is sufficient for children and adults (less for babies.) As it doesn't taste all that great, you can "hide" it if you have to in various foods, ways I have used are to dress cold pasta and sneak it into smoothies or milkshakes. What you do have to remember is that you need to keep it cold and use it cold as the chemical structure breaks down with heat.

Flaxseed oil should just taste oily. Sometimes when you buy it it tastes bitter. This is a sign of rancidity. The more bitter the more rancid. So ALWAYS make sure you buy from a shop that has a reasonably rapid turnover of the oil AND stores the flaxseed oil in the fridge at all times. If it is very bitter, you should return it and tell them it's rancid. Also don't be tempted to buy larger bottles as unless you are a large family they are false economy because the oil goes rancid so easily.

Jet

I buy the milk with omega 3 and my son takes the haliborange tablets. I tried so many different brands (including the zip vit juice) but the haliborange are the only ones he will take. I know they are quite a low dose and that's why I also supplement them with the milk.

I have noticed an improvement in his behaviour since he started taking them, and so has his teacher. I keep an open mind on whether it's due to the omega 3. I take the zip vit capsules and I know it has made such a difference to my skin and nails (used to be really dry and flaky), that I will definetly keep on taking them.

streetgirl74

I have just brought 3 bottles of the Boots Smart Omega 3 fish oil as it was on 3 for 2 but my daughter hates the taste of it, i have tried putting it in milk but she still wont drink it :mad:
What ways do you get your children to take it?

mr_fishbulb

What's the RDA for an adult for increased brain brilliantness?

For about 3 weeks I've been taking 2 x 1000mg fish oil capsules (120mg DHA + 180mg EPA in each). Can't say I've noticed any difference, but I have noticed about an hour after I take them I get a fishy taste in my mouth

ChocClare

streetgirl74 wrote:

I have just brought 3 bottles of the Boots Smart Omega 3 fish oil as it was on 3 for 2 but my daughter hates the taste of it, i have tried putting it in milk but she still wont drink it :mad:
What ways do you get your children to take it?

.

I bought this same thing on 3 for 2 at Boots last year and both my kids were GAGGING on it. When I smelt it I could understand why (couldn't bring myself to taste it LOL!!!).

I took the two good bottles back to Boots for a refund (which they were fine about) and bought (also on special offer at Tesco's at the time) the Haliborange blackcurrant capsules. Those were MUCH better. My son is now taking the Haliborange Teenage ones which he says are nice. However, it is very difficult to choose - the word "delicious" on any omega 3 product for kids now fills me with unbridled cynicism. We had cod liver oil capsules as children and I can remember how they repeated on me... ah, nothing like the taste of fish when you're eating Angel Delight! Put me off fish for life!

My husband takes flaxseed oil, which doesn't taste of anything in particular - as someone has already mentioned, perhaps you could sneak that onto their cereal when they're not looking??!